Colorado State Students

Erin Popovich Named Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year

Published September 2005

Erin Popovich, a junior majoring in Health and Exercise Science, was chosen from a group of eight of the best female athletes in the world as the winner of the Women's Sports Foundation's 2005 Individual Sportswoman of the Year. Popovich, who won seven gold medals (out of seven events) at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, received the honor at the 26th Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Gala and Auction at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on October 17, 2005.

Popovich receives the award at the 26th Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Gala and Auction.
[Photo: womenssportsfoundation.org]

The only Paralympian among the finalists, Popovich was the most decorated athlete of the Paralympic Games. The other Sportswoman of the Year finalists were hurdler Joanna Hayes, snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, race car driver Danica Patrick, skeleton athlete Noelle Pikus-Pace, speedskater Jennifer Rodriguez, figure skater Irina Slutskaya and golfer Annika Sorenstam.

"There is no better feeling than being recognized as an athlete, and to be honored in this way is unbelievable," said Popovich. "I thank the Women's Sports Foundation for considering me and for supporting aspiring athletes around the world."

At the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, Popovich won a gold medal in every event that she competed in for Team USA. She won five individual titles in the 200m Individual Medley (IM), 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle and two more medals in the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley relays. Additionally, Popovich set Paralympic records in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m fly and 200m IM, world records in the 50m freestyle, 50m fly and 200m IM and new American records in all five individual events as well as both relay events.

Popovich celebrates winning the 100m breaststroke during the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games on September 21, 2004. [Photo: www.usolympicteam.com]

The United States Olympic Committee honored Popovich with the 2004 September Athlete of the Month and Paralympian of the Year. Popovich returned to Colorado State in January 2005 to work toward her degree in Health and Exercise Science. This past July she received an ESPY for Best Female Athlete with a Disability and will continue training at CSU for the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.

The Paralympics

The Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes from six different disability groups: amputee, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, spinal cord injuries, intellectual disability and a group which includes all those that do not fit into the aforementioned groups. The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games, and since the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul and the Albertville 1992 Winter Paralympic Games, they have taken place at the same venues. In Athens 2004, a record number of 136 countries participated at the Paralympics, making this the largest Games in Paralympic history.

Popovich’s disability is achondroplasia, a genetic disorder of bone growth that is evident at birth. It is the most common of a group of growth defects characterized by abnormal body proportions — affected individuals have arms and legs that are very short, while the torso is more nearly normal size. She began Paralympic competition in 1998 and won three gold and three silver medals, and broke four world records, at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

The Women's Sports Foundation

Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women's Sports Foundation is a national charitable educational organization seeking to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. The Foundation's Participation, Education, Advocacy, Research and Leadership programs are made possible by gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations. The Foundation is located in Nassau County, N.Y. For more information, visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org.

Athletes are nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year by sport governing bodies and the public. The winners are determined by voting members of the Women's Sports Foundation and its Awards Committee.